Ten months after giving birth to her second child, Jo Pavey found herself on the podium at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Saturday night.
At the age of 41, Pavey finished third in the final of the 5000m after a performance of extraordinary determination. She just would not give in.
And it was far from her last hurrah in the sport. Pavey will run both the 5000m and 10,000m at the European Athletics Championships in Zurich next week and who knows what will happen next such is her amazing endurance?
She said: 'It felt a bit surreal when I crossed the line. I really did not believe I had a medal. I had to look at the scoreboard.'
There it showed the result in full, bright colours with Team England’s Pavey in third in 15:08.96 behind Kenyans Mercey Cherono, 23, who won gold in 15:07.21 and Janet Kisa, 21, second in 15:08.90.
The third Kenyan in the race, Margaret Muriuki, 28, was back in fourth in 15:10.38, passed by Pavey who had enough sprinting power left in the home straight to make bronze her own.
With two laps to go, Pavey, who is coached by her husband Gavin and who won European 10,000m silver in Helsinki two years ago, was leading, with the Kenyan trio and Australia’s Eloise Wellings, 31, looking poised to leave her trailing.
Cherono did move in front, but then at the bell Pavey came back for more, taking the lead again before, with 150m left, the same scenario.
The English athlete was out of the medals but with 80m to go, she was not going to miss out.
With her four-year-old son Jacob watching - her daughter Emily was too young to be in Glasgow - Pavey made sure he was left with memories of mum in full flow.
'I tried to think ‘don’t regret this’,' said Pavey, speaking to the BBC. 'It is so easy to think ‘they are Kenyans, they are so good’. I kept thinking ‘just try to beat them’ and I tried my hardest.
'I am so happy. It is really special my little boy Jacob is here watching me.'
It was a fine final night of the Commonwealth Games programme for English sprinters and particularly the men’s 4x400m team who beat Bahamas, the reigning Olympic champions.
The team combined brilliantly and were anchored by a new, young star in Matthew Hudson-Smith, 19, who fended off the challenge of Chris Brown, the 2010 world indoor 400m champion.
Hudson-Smith won it on the line and told British Athletics: 'I can't even get words out – being interviewed is foreign to me. This was an important experience for the future. This is probably so similar to the Olympics that it's a platform that can give us momentum and help us get more medals.'
Combining with Conrad Williams, Michael Bingham, Daniel Awde, England won in 3:00.46 from Bahamas in 3:00.51 with Trinidad & Tobago third in 3:01.51.
Adam Gemili ended the Games with a second silver as the 4x100m team took second in 38.02 behind Jamaica, with Usain Bolt on the final leg, who won in a Games record of 37.58.
Gemili had won 100m silver earlier in the week and ran the opening leg, handing on to Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Richard Kilty and Danny Talbot.
As Gemili tweeted on Sunday: 'Walking away from my first Commonwealth Games with two silver medals. Absolutely mental!'
The women’s 4x100m of Asha Philip, Bianca Williams, Jodie Williams, Ashleigh Nelson won bronze in 43.10 behind Jamaica in 41.83 and Nigeria in 42.92 - and for the two Williams’ in the team, another medal.
Jodie had finished second in the 200m and Bianca in third.
And to complete England’s relay success, the women’s 4x400m also took bronze in the same outcome as the 4x100m as Christine Ohuruogu, Shana Cox, Kelly Massey and Anyika Onuora finished third with Jamaica winning in 3:23.82 and Nigeria second in 3:24.71.
On a rain hit of difficult conditions, Wales ended the track and field programme with silver in the pole vault as Sally Peake cleared 4.25m with gold going to Alana Boyd, of Australia, with 4.50m.